"There is a forgotten, nay almost forbidden word,
which means more to me than any other.
That word is ENGLAND." - Sir Winston Churchill

Friday, December 11, 2015

Terror arrests at record levels as women and teenagers seduced by extremists

New Home Office statistics bear out warnings about schoolgirls and young families drawn into extremism.

There were a total of 315 terrorism-related arrests in the year ending September 2015, an increase of a third on the previous year.

With security services and police mounting a huge effort to counter the Islamic State threat, Home Office figures showed the rise is caused by increases in the numbers of female and under-18 suspects.

The number of women and girls held has more than doubled compared to the previous year to 50, meaning they now account for around one in six (16%) of all arrests after a rise of seven percentage points compared to the previous 12 months.

It also means that a fifth of all the arrests of females since 2001 have occurred in the last year.

GETTYThe Home Office have released shocking statistics outlining who is at risk of being radicalised

We are determined to detect, disrupt and where possible prosecute all terrorist threats to the UK

Security Minister John Hayes

The Home Office report said: "The majority of the increase in the number of women getting arrested has been linked to international-related terrorism."

Statisticians also reported a "notable increase" in the number of suspects aged under 18 being arrested, with the total of 15 detained over the year, the highest on record.

The figures also showed that there were increases in the number of terror-related arrests across all age groups compared with a year ago, but jumps in the 21-24 and 30 and over age groups together accounted for 86% of the overall rise.

Four out of five (79%) of those arrested were British or had British dual nationality.

This proportion has increased considerably in recent years, the report said.

GETTYStatistics also show an alarming number of people under 18 being arrested

Terrorism-related arrests increased across nearly all ethnic groups, with jumps of 41% and 25% in the number of those who considered themselves to be Asian and white respectively.

Worryingly, the surge in police activity has also coincided with a rise in the number of terrorists, domestic extremists and separatists being released into the community.

A total of 120 were freed from custody in the year to June - double the number in the previous year. Of those 99 had served sentences, with many subject to licence conditions following their release.

GETTYJohn Hayes, Security Minister

Last month the spending review included a 30% increase in the dedicated counter-terrorism budget as the Government attempted to step up the UK's capacity following the Paris attacks.

Security Minister John Hayes said: "We are determined to detect, disrupt and where possible prosecute all terrorist threats to the UK.

"The figures released today once again highlight the hard work carried out by the police, Security Service and Crown Prosecution Service to keep the public safe - and emphasise the scale of that challenge."

The Home Office said charges are likely to increase as there are a number of ongoing investigations.